{"id":1539,"date":"2016-08-02T10:54:58","date_gmt":"2016-08-02T14:54:58","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/www.musingsbymichael.com\/blog\/?p=1539"},"modified":"2016-08-02T10:54:58","modified_gmt":"2016-08-02T14:54:58","slug":"who-are-the-third-party-candidates","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"http:\/\/www.musingsbymichael.com\/blog\/2016\/08\/02\/who-are-the-third-party-candidates\/","title":{"rendered":"Who are the third party candidates?"},"content":{"rendered":"

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Now that both the Democrats and the Republicans have their respective candidates for President and Vice President; my thoughts are who are the third party candidates?<\/span><\/p>\n

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The Libertarians have Gary Johnson and Bill Weld as their candidates, the Green Party has Jill Stein and Ajamu Baraka, while the Constitution Party of the US has as their nominees Darrel Castle and Scott Bradley and of course there are others. But these three are on the ballots of at least twenty states and thus I will only talk about them because of the fact that they have a small chance of winning versus no chance for those who do not have their names on ballots in less than twenty states.<\/span><\/p>\n

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Now onto the who and what these people are about, I will start with the Libertarians. Both Johnson and Weld<\/a> are both former governors, a plus for their ticket. Per their website: \u201cGary Johnson and William Weld offer a breath of fresh air to a presidential election that is otherwise consumed by divisive partisan rhetoric. Both Johnson and Weld were former two-term Governors and both won re-election by appealing not just to their party, but to all voters. In fact, William Weld won his second term with the largest margin of victory in the history of Massachusetts<\/em>.\u201d That is fine and good for them, but what are their stances on the issues?<\/span><\/p>\n

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I will just hit the highlights and they are as follows<\/a>. On Abortion \u2013 Pro, they believe in a free market economy, that taxes should be reduced with a reduction in spending by the Federal government, an abolishment of bank regulations and a constitutional amendment that requires that the budget be balanced each year. They also believe that it is OK to deny service to gays, that consenting adults have the right to choose their own sexual relationships, they support an individual\u2019s right to choose (even if we disapprove), want to repeal all anti-homosexuality laws, want the complete freedom of expression including pornography and that the government should redress the wrongs done to Native Americans (Indians). Quite a list it is and now onto the Green Party.<\/span><\/p>\n

The Green Party have Jill Stein and Ajamu Baraka<\/a> as their candidates and on their website is the following statement \u201cAmericans deserve real solutions for the economic, social and environmental crises we face. But the broken political system is only making things worse. It’s time to build a people’s movement to end unemployment and poverty; avert climate catastrophe; build a sustainable, just economy; and recognize the dignity and human rights of every person. The power to create this new world is not in our hopes; it\u2019s not in our dreams \u2014 it’s in our hands<\/em>.\u201d A very nice set of things to say and for some to believe in, but just what are their stances on the issues?<\/span><\/p>\n

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Again I will just hit the highlights<\/a>, they are \u2013 Healthcare is a right, women have the right to control their own bodies, we must focus on jobs, need a bigger stimulus plan, it is un-American that the top 1 percent are wealthy while the rest are in crisis and reduce spending by cutting back on the military budget plus preventative healthcare.\u00a0 No discrimination based on orientation whether it’s LGB or T and we must end the racist war on drugs and school-to-prison pipeline. There is much more of this party\u2019s stands on the issues, just use the above provided link to see them.<\/span><\/p>\n

Next week I will continue with the Constitution Party of the US and some miscellaneous information on third parties.<\/span><\/p>\n

That is my opinion- Jumpin Jersey Mike<\/span><\/p>\n

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